Report: Grade 1 winner Effinex dies after aneurysm

Effinex, the runner-up to American Pharoah in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic and a subsequent Grade 1 winner, died Wednesday night, the Daily Racing Form reported.

Owner Dr. Russell Cohen told DRF that the 7-year-old stallion suffered a pulmonary aneurysm. Cohen got the call at 10 p.m.

“One of the veterinarians from Rood and Riddle lives above the stallion barn,” Cohen, who campaigned Effinex under the Tri-Bone Stables name, told DRF. “He heard a big noise, he went downstairs to find out what it was, and the horse was dead. Rood and Riddle did a postmortem on him, and his lungs and trachea were full of blood.”

Following his retirement from racing, Effinex stood at Questroyal North in New York for a $10,000 fee until a recent move to Saratoga Thoroughbreds.

Joe McMahon, who owns the farm, told BloodHorse.com the horse "wasn't in pain. There was no damage to the stall or signs of struggle, like when a horse is in pain. He just dropped. It is such a shock — an incredible shock."

The son of Mineshaft peaked late in his 2015 campaign, following up the Breeders’ Cup effort with a victory in Churchill Downs’ Clark Handicap. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Effinex — beloved for his name as well as his talents on the track — earned more than $3.3 million in 28 starts, posting nine wins.